Squash issue...

Squash issue...

Thu Jun 26, 2008 3:07 pm

We are having a squash issue. Have a row of yellow squash and zucchini plants. All in full production. The right fertilization and watering has been done but one by one the plants are dying. And in order! First the first one in the row went. Then the second....now we are up to the 5th plant. Plant roots are under black plastic with soaker hoses. No signs of moles and other varmints. We have an issue with rabbits in the soybeans but not here. The plants are withering up and dying. Any thoughts appreciated.

Look for small copper colored eggs on the underside of the leaves, in small V shaped clusters. These are squash bugs eggs, and these bugs can cause plants to rapidly wither and die from overfeeding on the plant.

Look at the stem where it enters the ground, for signs of a squash borer. It also causes a rapid plant decline. They will bore small holes into the vine, with a sawdust-like accumulation of gunk and secretions near the bored holes.

If you see no signs of either of those more common pests, and watering and everything else being normal or regular, then it could be the plant reaching the end of its natural life. Squash usually doesn't have a very long production life in the garden: maybe a month (?) after it begins blooming, give or take a week or two either way.

Wow. While the short lifespan makes sense for so much production, it still seems abrupt. I will be sad to see mine waste away. Accidentally, mine ended up being staggered in their maturity. Next time, I will be careful to plan spacing and timing with continued production in mind.

Some varieties last longer than others - the yellow crookneck is my favorite and seems to be the shortest lived. (Of course). And I think it's production is closer to 45 days than 30 [as I wrote above], but still short compared to most other plants.

I try to plant two seperate plantings of yellow squash. One about 2 weeks after the other or maybe 3 weeks, so that when one batch is begining the whole dying process, the other is just beginning to hit it's most productive stage. It also helps to prevent having 20 or 30 plants all producing at once. [I like squash, but not so much to eat it 3 times a day for weeks on end.]

Yep, sounds like squash vine borer alright - I HATE them - they are the reason I don't grow squash anymore. I found a trick online, that worked a bit for me, that is to cut a gallon plastic milk/water container and use the upper part (the handle & the top hole) by putting the plant that is in the ground through the top hole of the container & stick the container in the ground. This way the borer can't get to the vine. Try that next time - of course the plant would need to be a bit small to do this.